BY RAINER TURIM | On a bitter-cold Martin Luther King Day, hundreds of people marched on the Lower East Side, their indignation fired up by the December approval of three luxury towers in the Two Bridges area, plus the city’s deal with Amazon for it to open a new headquarters in Long Island City,
Fliers handed out at the march demanded a stop to the skyscraper developments and the expected displacement of low-income residents that will come with it.
The march was led by the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side, as well as Youth Against Displacement — two organizations focused on fighting local residential displacement.
Starting off at Cherry and Pine Sts., the marchers braved massive wind gusts and frigid weather to make it to City Hall, where individuals an representatives from a wide variety of organizations spoke.
Among the speakers were activists Arnette Scott and Lena Meléndez. Scott, a Lower East Side local, called for a stop to resident harassment. Calling out Mayor de Blasio, she vowed she’s not going anywhere.
The marchers included not only those in the Chinatown and Lower East Side community, but New Yorkers from around the boroughs who are being affected by development pressure and gentrification.
Reverend Billy’s Stop Shopping Choir lent their support in the form of protest songs. Their tunes ranged from de Blasio and displacement to racism and Trump’s wall.
At the end, Zishun Ning, an organizer with Youth Against Displacement, said he was focusing about next steps for combatting de Blasio’s power, reminding the audience of the special election for public advocate in February. With more than 20 candidates vying for the position, Ning encouraged people to ask of every candidate, “Which side are you on? Are you on the side of the community or are you on the side of the mayor and his rich developer friends?”
